Issue #18 Released!

This issue is kind of a big deal for lots of reasons. As you can probably tell from the cover art, one of the hot topics of this issue is that the Smog Awards are back! Yeah, that's right! It's time to nominate your favorite users for the categories you think that they deserve to win. There are a few new topics and plenty of old ones, so have fun with it! There are other super cool articles as well, like a metric ton of metagame and battling strategy articles and more tournament coverage. Lastly, this is just a really big issue (one of our biggest, in-fact), so there's a ton of content to enjoy!

I'd like to, as I typically do, take this moment to thank everyone that made this issue possible. Setsuna, Seven Deadly Sins, Swaggersaurus, and bojangles all did their parts as staff members. Thanks to all of the article authors, grammar checkers, and HTMLers. You guys know who you are, and you help more than you know. Lastly, I want to thank you guys, the readers, for all of your support. You guys give us the power and motivation to do this at all.

Also, this is a big issue for another reason. This is the 7th issue that I have been head editor of The Smog, and the 9th or so that I have participated in the uploading process, which is crazy to think about. I make note of that because, well, this is going to be my last issue. There are a lot of reasons I am moving on as head editor, but this is not the place for it. Needless to say, this means that Setsuna will be succeeding me, and hopefully The Smog will continue to thrive without my presence on its staff. I've tried hard in my time here, and I hope that I've done a good job in your all's eyes. It's very hard for me to say goodbye to something I really love, but here we are. I love you guys! It's been a real pleasure!! <3

At first glance, there's nothing really outstanding about Rotom-W's stats. 107 / 107 defenses are decent, but 50 base HP doesn't do it any favors. 105 Special Attack is more than competent, but its movepool isn't especially amazing—Electric moves, Ghost moves, and Hydro Pump are basically all it has, but most of the time, that's all it needs. 86 Speed is serviceable, doubly so in this arguably slower Generation 5 metagame.
However, what makes Rotom-W really stand out is its excellent dual typing. Electric / Water is a great typing, with resistances to Steel, Water, Ice, Fire, and Flying, and with Levitate, it also has a crucial Ground immunity. However, even more significant is its meager one weakness—Grass, a type that is rarely carried as a coverage move. To top it all off, it weighs a measly 0.7 pounds, so Grass Knot only hits it for 20 Base Power, making one of the more common Grass-type moves nearly irrelevant. Combine this with decent 50 / 107 / 107 defenses, and even without investment, Rotom-W can give any team a decent check to some top threats in the metagame.
Offensively, it's no slouch either. STAB Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt give Rotom-W great coverage, and Rotom-A's also got a bunch of other useful Electric-type attacks to its name. The new Volt Change lets it serve as an excellent scout and keep your opponent on the back foot, and it's tough to neutralize it with a Ground-type for fear of getting hit by a STAB Hydro Pump. Discharge lets it spread paralysis if it wants, and if rain is in play, it can use the powerful Thunder to complement its rain-boosted Hydro Pump. It can even play at a boosting set with Charge Beam, though it's not as effective as when it was a Ghost-type in Generation 4.

Teammates

Politoed obviously tops this list, as Drizzle works hard to improve Rotom-W's utility significantly. Beyond that, you'll want a way to deal with Rotom-W's checks and counters if you intend to use it as an optimal member of your team. Pursuit users, especially Scizor, can wear down Chansey and Blissey, as well as the Lati twins, eliminating some of the most notable counters to Rotom-W. Rotom-W also works well with Scizor, as the combination of U-Turn and Volt Change keeps momentum in your favor for a long time. You can also use other Water-types to break down Gastrodon. Stuffing Hidden Power Grass or Toxic on Politoed can do the trick, as few Pokémon(I thought that Smogon doesn't use the mark above the e?) want to take a powerful Hydro Pump of Scald from Politoed, so Gastrodon tends to switch into Politoed extremely often.

On the defensive side of things, Skarmory and Forretress are still the punks they always were. Skarmory didn't really pick up any new tricks, but the changes to Sturdy do allow it to phaze out literally anything in a pinch, letting it serve as an impromptu check to the aforementioned SubCM Jirachi. It's also still the same old hazard machine and stallbot, with its ability to lay down Spikes with impunity and Roost off any damage it takes in the meantime. Forretress is largely in the same boat as well. While it largely lives in Ferrothorn's shadow, it still boasts a number of advantages. Rapid Spin is a great move even in Generation 5, especially with the introduction of Pokemon like Volcarona and the newly Multiscale-imbued Dragonite, whose lives depend on the removal of Stealth Rock. It's a great hazard layer as well, especially with Sturdy. And while it lost the boon of Payback doubling in power on switches, it gained Volt Change, which allows it to scout for spinblockers and also escape from Magnezone, something that it couldn't do before.

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Slowbro

One of the most frustrating Pokemon to face in the game. With his ability Regenerator, Slowbro can keep switching in and out to regain HP for free, making for a Pokemon that doesn't really fear entry hazards as much as other Pokemon. Slowbro's high overall physical defense allows him to take on strong physical attackers, and his Water typing also allows him to take on the incredibly strong Darmanitan (a true monster on sun based teams), whose Flare Blitz has sent many a Pokemon player back to Pallet Town. Like Mew, Slowbro has a reliable recovery move in Slack Off, making for one infuriating Pokemon to take down, especially in tandem with Regenerator.
He has a solid movepool too. Ferrothorn can't really exploit Slowbro's Grass-type weakness due to the possibilty of getting roasted by Fire Blast. Even in rain, Fire Blast will still do a large chunk of damage. Thunder Wave is good at crippling Pokemon such as Latios, who try to switch in for free on Slowbro's other moves. Because of his typing, Slowbro can fit well on teams needing a reliable Water-type. Be warned though, as Slowbro is still nailed by Politoed's Choice Specs Hydro Pump.
So where does it all go wrong? It's his environment. In a place where powerful special attacks from the likes of Rotom, Zapdos, and Shaymin are commonplace, Slowbro will struggle to survive the incoming onslaught of Thunderbolt and Seed Flare. On top of this, despite being a defensive powerhouse, he is left high and dry when faced with anything else. Opposing defensive teams wall Slowbro to the ends of Earth, Taunt creates a large gap in his defenses by nullifying Slack Off, and a powerful Pursuit user does enough damage to negate your(Should be his) Regenerator boost, and then some. Be very careful with Slowbro, as one wrong enemy will completely invalidate his use.

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Latias

She's less commonly seen these days, as Latios does offensive sets better, and the Timid Calm Mind set is ripped a new one by Tyranitar, but Latias still fills a void that not many other Pokemon can fill. Fantastic resistances, great Speed, and arguably the best mono-attacking type (Dragon) can allow her to counter many offensive threats. Latias is one of those Pokemon that can quickly shift a game in its favour if you're not quick enough to react, as it is very hard to take down with a couple of Calm Minds under its belt. However, the set that we are currently liking is the Bold Reflect and Calm Mind Latias set, with 252 EVs in both HP and Defense. This means that Latias is no longer completely destroyed by Tyranitar and Scizor, allowing her to survive and potentially run through a weakened team later on in the game. If you have lost confidence in Latias's ability due to being fearful of Tyranitar, we suggest you try out this set as it really does help her to survive.
Latias has some other options, though. Hidden Power Fire can be used on her standard Calm Mind set to deal with Scizor, beating it handily. Refresh can remove status ailments and allow Latias to come out on top against Toxic Blissey, whilst Roar can be used to shuffle the opponent's team if hazards are down. Roar will also help Latias delay the worry of dealing with bulky set-up Pokemon, such as Reuniclus. Whilst the problem is not completely dealt with, it can mean that you are able to plan ahead to deal with these threats later on in the game.
She may not be as incredible as she was during her short time in Generation IV, and the same problems still plague her. Even with a great bulk, especially with investment, the amount of high-powered attackers in this metagame is simply too great. Not even super effective attacks are necessary to take her down; Landorus and Terrakion have enough power under their belts to solidly dent her defenses. Her movepool is vast, and so it may be difficult to find the right answer, but Latias can be taken down with the right answer. Her high Speed and good offensive prowes prevent her from becoming the standard Taunt-bait, but she still has problems steamrolling the opponent.

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Xatu

We always get worried when we see Xatu in team preview. Xatu's ability, Magic Bounce, essentially reflects pseudo-conditions, which means that you can't set up hazards, use Taunt, or even use status moves such as Thunder Wave safely, because if Xatu is on the field, the effect is just bounced back onto your team. Xatu is a Pokemon that will change the pace of the game, and no longer is it feasible to just go about setting up your hazards without removing it beforehand; this is a huge annoyance that can make it very awkward to push forwards, break your opponent, and win the game. For that reason, we don’t know why it isn't used more. Xatu doesn't have the best defenses, but going Bold with max EVs in HP and Defense allows it to utilise its amazing ability to a decent extent.Xatu is incredibly hard to kill, but if you can set up before he hits play, then Stealth Rocks is chipping a whole 25% off its health. As well as this, Xatu has a boatload of common weaknesses: Ice, Electric, Rock, Ghost, and Dark. These are all extremely common in OU in both physical and special attacks. This makes it very difficult to keep Xatu alive against offensive teams that care less about status conditions and hazards, as they will just focus on pounding your team to the ground, Xatu and all.

Once upon a time, there was a Pokemon who dreamed of greatness. His name was Scyther, and he was gifted with strength, but no opportunities. His typing offered him offensive potential, but with few options with which to use it. Things got worse quickly, as he found out his brethren were evolving into much stronger Bug-types, ones with greater typing than itself. By the time it finally gained useful STAB options and an excellent ability to complement those them, his brethren had left Scyther in the dust, leaving him to wallow in the mires of UU while they dominated the face of OU. Slowly but surely Scyther accepted his fate, and strove to dominate the tier it was relegated to, in the attempt to prove its worthiness to the world!